As I mentioned in my report on the manga highlights from New York Comic-Con, the biggest (and happiest) bit of news came courtesy of Yen Press at their Saturday afternoon panel. At this point, you'd have to be living under a rock (without Internet access) to not know that the long awaited 6th volume of the Yotsuba&! has been picked up for publication by Yen Press and it will soon return to your favorite book or comic shop in September 2009.
But that wasn't the only noteworthy announcement made that day by Yen Press publishing director Kurt Hassler, Senior Editor Ju-Youn Lee, Editor Tania Biswas and Editorial Intern Abby Blackman. Yen Press also announced five other intriguing Japanese manga and Korean manhwa acquisitions for Fall 2009. Here's more details on the coming attractions:
Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma - September 2009
First up, the announcement that instantly turned your everyday comic convention publishers panel into pure pandemonium, the return of Yotsuba&!. When a PowerPoint misfire led the Yotsuba&! slide to appear out of order, the room erupted in gasps and cheers of delight. I'm not exaggerating here. It was quite a sight.
So why the huge crowd reaction? Yotsuba&! is one of those rare manga series that everyone, from kids to crusty adults just adores. It's clever, funny, and it's also an impeccably-drawn manga series that never fails to delight anyone fortunate enough to pick it up. Seriously, if you haven't read this story about this quirky but loveable green-haired little girl, her father and her neighbors, you're doing yourself a disservice.
2007 was the last time a new volume of Yotsuba&! was put out by former publisher ADV Manga, and in the year and a half since, fans have been asking where's Yotsuba? and getting very vague answers from ADV in return. The fate of Yotsuba&! was one of my five burning questions for 2009 so it was a pleasant surprise to see that this one was resolved so quickly (and so satisfyingly).
One question that came up in the panel was regarding the fate of Yotsuba&! Volumes 1 through 5, which was published by ADV. Yen Press publishing director Kurt Hassler had this to say in response: "We're discussions to acquire the current translations, and if that's not possible, we'll be looking at doing new translations." No firm word on when the new Yen Press editions of Yotsuba&! Volumes 1 to 5 will be out, but rest assured, it's in the works.
Yen's acquisition of Yotsuba&! led many to ask Hassler if they were looking into adopting some of the other much beloved but now in limbo (or neglected) manga series out there. Some titles shouted out included Aria and Tokyo Tribes, both currently or formerly published by TokyoPop.
"If there's a license that is lapsed, and it's good, we'll consider it," said Hassler. "But that said, we're not looking into cherry-picking lapsed titles from other publishers. But if a great title falls in our lap, like if VIZ wants to drop Naruto, we'd consider picking it up!" (laughs)
For more on this story, Brigid Alverson of Mangablog talked with Hassler and got more info from him at NYCC. Check it out. It's brief, but there's some tasty tidbits revealed there.
Spice and Wolf by Isuna Hasekura and Keito Koume - Date TBD
Back in September 2008, Yen Press had announced at New York Anime Festival that they'll be publishing the Spice and Wolf light novels. Now they've announced that they'll also be publishing the manga version of this magical story about a fox-eared goddess and her adventures with a traveling merchant. While Yotsuba&! was the marquee announcement of the day, this title also garnered an appreciative response from the fans gathered at NYCC.
Why no release date? "We're waiting for the manga to have a few more volumes out," said Biswas. "There's only 2 out (in Japan) so far."
Meanwhile, you can look forward to reading the first Spice and Wolf light novel in December 2009, and stay tuned for a 2010 release date for the manga
.Crescent Moon Story by Hyouta Fujiyama - September 2009
This title was a personal fave championed by Biswas -- and her description of the book garnered some appreciative response from the gals in the crowd. As she described it, "A guy makes a deal with the Spirit of the Crescent Moon to find a mate for him – but the spirit only matches him up with males."
If you're a fan of boys love manga, you may already know of Fujiyama-sensei's work from titles released by June Manga / Digital Manga Publishing, including Ordinary Crush, Pure Heart, Lover's Flat and Sunflower.
Crescent Moon Story is the latest addition to Yen Press' modest forays into the land of boys love / yaoi manga as it joins the three previously announced titles from Lily Hoshino, Mr. Flower Bride, Mr. Flower Groom and Love Quest.
Time and Again by JiUn Yun - December 2009
Time and Again is not a new title to readers of Yen Plus magazine. This supernatural Korean manhwa series joined the monthly magazine's line-up in the February 2009 issue. The story follows a traveling exorcist and his assistant as they encounter and try to dispel violent spirits -- but the situations they encounter aren't always a clear-cut case of good versus evil.
"It's a beautifully-drawn horror story – ranging from melancholy to horrific. It's Ju-Youn's favorite, so she lobbied hard for this," said Hassler.
Raiders by JinJun Park - December 2009
Yet another Korean manhwa title, but this time it's an action-adventure story in the spirit of Raiders of the Lost Ark. A female archaeology assistant sneaks off to look for the Holy Grail. But with an artifact that precious, it stands to reason that she would deal with ruthless and dangerous people who are looking for the Grail, and will stop at nothing to make sure that she fails in her quest.
"It's like a new quest for the Holy Grail, archaeologists looking for immortality," said Hassler. "The art is absolutely fantastic!"
Laon by Hyun You and Youngbin Kim - January 2010
Another import from Korea, Laon is a magical adventure story that features a character that might be familiar to many manga readers -- a nine-tailed fox spirit. In this case, the fox spirit has had his nine tails taken away and is on a quest to regain his lost tails.
The creative team behind Laon might be familiar to some readers too. Young Bin Kim was also the artist behind Stand By Youth and Hyun You was the creator of Faeries' Landing, both published by TokyoPop.
Before giving away several boxfuls of Maximum Ride and Haruhi Suzumiya manga, and a case of Soul Eater key covers, Hassler and crew also had a few more anecdotes to share.
"When I first started Yen Press, I went out with an editor from Shueisha," Hassler recalled. "I asked, 'if there was one recommendation you could give me as I set up Yen Press?' The Shueisha editor replied, "You need an excellent editor to run your material – and I would look in Korea, because they're doing great work there." And that's part of what led to signing on Lee, who was the former editor behind the Ice Kunion imprint that was eventually folded into Yen Press.
Another panel attendee asked if Yen Press would be interested in original manga proposals from writers. Hassler had this blunt, but essentially accurate advice for the aspiring author: "If you're a writer, look for an illustrator first. We're not as interested in manuscripts without an artist attached to it."
Finally, while it'd be tough to top this set of announcements, Hassler and crew left the crowd with this plug for coming attractions and a promise for more. "Nightschool (by Svetlana Chmakova) is publishing in April, and we have more in the pipeline. We'll be making some pretty big announcements later in the year."
Mmmaybe the deliciously Goth Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler) by Yana Toboso? I'm just tossing that out there -- but any other wild guesses or wish lists for what Yen Press has up their sleeves for 2009 and beyond? Add your comments below!Image credits: © Kiyohiko Azuma / MEDIA WORKS, © Reed Exhibitions, © Isuna Hasekura and Keito Koume, © Hyouta Fujiyama, © Deb Aoki
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